Link Building Strategy 1: Ask

I learned when I was a kid that I’m much more likely to get something if my request is reasonable and I ask politely. That’s certainly true of link building.

If you read last week’s newsletter you know that the goal of link building is to obtain relevant links from trusted sites. So who do you ask?

Vendors & Medical Device Manufacturers
You’re a customer, so they should be happy to do you a small favor. Ask your vendors, business partners, professional advisers, and the makers of the medical devices you use if they have a Web site where they could post a link back to your site. Most do. If you are happy with that vendor, offer to provide a testimonial which they can post to their site, linking your name and some keywords back to your site. That’s a win-win proposition if ever there was one.

Medical Colleagues
Are there other doctors (excluding direct competitors in your local market) who you respect and trust? Think back on your colleagues from medical school, mentors, or teachers. First make sure they have a site and then call to suggest a link exchange, explaining that it could help you both rank better.

Local Business Partners
Do you use an independent anesthesiologist or aftercare facility? Where do you refer patients for treatments in other specialty areas of medicine? Who refers patients to you? Here are more great opportunities to secure or exchange links.

Organizations & Associations
Practically every organization – certifying boards, medical associations, local chambers of commerce – has a Web site. See if you can get a link to your site from every one of your member groups.

Charitable Groups
Many of our clients are active philanthropists. If you are credited as a supporter of any charity, ask if they would not mind linking to your Web site. Many charities, particularly smaller ones trying to raise awareness, will jump at the chance for cross-promotion.

Employees
There’s a good chance that at least a few of your staff members have their own Web pages. Encourage them to reference you as their employer and link to your site.

Patients
Many of your patients will have profiles on Linkedin.com, Facebook.com, Myspace.com, or other social Web sites. During their post-op visits, ask happy patients if they have are active online and if they wouldn’t mind giving you a shout out. If they participate in online forums, make sure they know they are free to link to your site from their posts.

By using your imagination and brainstorming a list of your professional relationships you should be able to put together a long list of candidates you can ask to link to your site. Etna clients who would like help with the technical details of inbound links or link exchanges should feel free to contact their Account Manager for more specifics.